Replies

1. 
   skipj | Sep 28, 2004 05:14am | #1

   LouB,

   Engineered hardwood is a pretty, and, pretty impressive product.

   There is a simple test that you need to do on your slab:

   1. Get some painters plastic. 4mil or thicker.

   2. Cut it into 4 foot squares.

   3. Duct tape the plastic squares to the slab in various areas, (you didn't give an indication of total area, so perhaps one square for every 50 sq. ft.), completely seal the perimeter of each plastic square to the slab with the duct tape. We're after airtight here.

   4. Check the squares of plastic for condensation at 24, 48 and 72 hrs. No condensation is good.

   5. Pray for rain. Barring rain, at 24 hrs, set a sprinkler on the uphill side of the slab and let it go for another 24 hrs.

   6. No condensation on the plastic? Good to go.

   7. Condensation? Depends on how much. May need a vapor barrier. May not be a good idea. There are more sophisticated tests you can do. This is the easiest.

   Hope this helps,

   skipj

1. 
   LouB | Sep 28, 2004 02:05pm | #2

   Thanks Skip, I will definitely try that ( by the way, the room is 580 sq. ft. )  I guess my last hurdle is coming to grips mentally with gluing down a hardwood floor.  It just doesn't seem possible. 

2. 
   ed2 | Sep 29, 2004 02:46am | #3

   mannington is a ggod product line   check w store re vapor barrier which you'll need     i'd edge glue it, install as floater     check slab for flatness and follow mfg. specs    

1. 
   brownbagg | Sep 29, 2004 04:15am | #4

   sure fire protection, paint the concrete with a two part epoxy paint, nothing will weep through that stuff

3. 
   efix2 | Sep 29, 2004 04:26am | #5

   Hi,

   If it were my floor I would do what skip suggests - then put down Dricore.

   http://www.dricore.com